When the Clouds go Rolling By

Victoria Crescent Sagas #3

by June Francis

As the First World War rolls towards its end, Alice Bennett's relief at hearing her husband, Sebastian, is alive is tempered with concern that he is wounded, but when he finally comes home Alice learns that not all scars are visible and sometimes those you can't see are the hardest to heal... Meanwhile, Clara O'Toole's search for her missing Aunt Gertie brings her into contact with a whole new extended family. She is over the moon to find she has a cousin, but is she ready to be drawn into the tragedies, secrets - and dangers - of the family's past?

576 pages, Paperback

First published November 26, 2007

About the author

Although, June was born in the seaside resort of Blackpool, she has lived all her life in the port of Liverpool, home of the Beatles. One of four children, her love of stories began when her father told her 'The Little Match Girl', which left her in floods of tears, but also with a desire to make up stories, herself. As soon as she could read she was doing a three mile walk to the local library. She passed the scholarship to Liverpool Girls' College where her English teacher told her that she had a great imagination. Despite this, June did not believe she could ever be an author, so on leaving school, she became a cash clerk. She married at twenty-two, has three sons, ran a church playgroup for ten years and it wasn't until her youngest started school that she joined a Writers' Club and turned her hand to writing articles about What She Knew for a woman's magazine. But her first love had always been books and eventually she wrote her first two medieval romances for Mills & Boon. After doing another two, she had an urge to write a family story set in Liverpool during WWII. This was bought by another publisher. Since then she has had thirty-three books published.

Reviews

[Marlene Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following a séance, Clara’s grandmother, Bernie, is keen to get in touch with her only surviving daughter who had run away, many years before, to join the stage. Until then, Clara never knew she had an aunt, and being an only child with both parents dead, she was keen to seek out her aunt and other extended family that her cantankerous grandmother had kept secret.

It is through a visit to the medium, Mrs Black, that she is able to get a message to her long lost kin. Not everyone is glad that she made contact.

When the Clouds Go Rolling By is essentially a story about families - and the secrets that become buried over time. June Frances does an excellent job of pulling out all the skeletons from the closet for her characters to contend with and like many families, by dealing with these often painful past issues, they are able to move on and enjoy more connected lives.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, especially the scary climax where the whole family comes together to stave off a sadistic tormenter from the past.
This wartime family saga has many elements; intrigue, romance and suspense and makes a perfect evening/bedtime read.

[Bronwyn Rykiert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this story of Clara O'Toole. Clara lives with her grandmother who she does not always get along with, Clara's father Dennis was recently killed in WWI and her grandmother starts to remenince about her oldest child Gerty, who left home in anger at 16 and has never been heard from again. Grandma Bernie talks Clara into taking her to see a medium Isadora Black so she can speak with Dennis - to her surprise Clara is called up straight away and there is a message? Bernie recognises Isadora as an old friend of her daughter Gertie's. Through Mrs Black Clara is able to find out that she has a cousin who is married and has 3 children but she also learns that he has been injured in the war.

I enjoyed the intermingling of friends a family that took place through out the book, there was a bit of a mystery - a long lost father shows up for a short while and a wicked brother thought to be dead turns up for revenge.

All in all a good little story.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow another book by June Francis and the 3rd book in the Victoria Crescent series
And I’m just loving them and never want to put them down
It’s a definite a must read series

You get so drawn into the lives of all the characters and how strong they all are together but just as strong on their own
Life is never dull while the evil Bert is around they are always looking over their shoulders
But maybe their lives will get better from now on

[chlorinda naish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting!

At last the disguising Bert was found out , by a neighbour who was watching ,what was supposed to be a street cleaner with only a brush, no dustbin to put the dirt into, due to her quick thinking all help was let loose, Bert found the sisters who were on holiday with Mrs Kirk, Berts mother. Not going to write anymore, brilliant ending.

[Kathleen Motteler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Exciting Read by June Francis

The story jumps ahead a few years from the last book. It's the end of The Great War (WWI). New characters are introduced before we catch up with the old. The characters are well developed and the action fast paced. The book is hard to put down.

[Marion · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am enjoying the victoria cresent series

[Chery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book review is for all 5 Saga books.

I loved all the characters. Alice had me a little crazy on the last 2 books but the story had me wanting to know what happened to the next character introduced which kept me intrigued until the fifth book.

I personally would of liked more of the hocus-pocus but that's just my 5c.

Definitely reading more of June Francis

[Kath · Rating 2 out of 5]

As soon as I started it reminded me of something my Grandma used to read. Turns out the author wrote for Women's magazines like 'My Weekly '. One dimensional and melodramatic , but harmless , I read it because I had nothing else to read at the time. Will be avoiding anything else by this writer.

[Bernie Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

An OK read. May comment further

[Lisa Mcmaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I have read by June Francis. I loved it, she is a great saga writer.

[Jan Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a fairly predictable read, although the author had packed q a lot into the plot. I wouldn't rush to read more by this author - this was a present.